Politics and football have more in common than you think June 18, 2026 If politics is showbiz for ugly people, it might also be seen as sport for the unathletic. It often carries the same partisanship, the obsession with obscure statistics, and the familiar pattern of renewed hope, only to be dampened by reality, says John Oxley By the time you read things, two things will have happened [...]
Hydration breaks: World Cup ad cost could eclipse Super Bowl’s $7m price tag June 17, 2026 Ads during hydration breaks at the Fifa World Cup final could cost more than a Super Bowl commercial, according to one of the world’s biggest advertising groups. This year’s World Cup in North America and Mexico has introduced a drinks break during each half of football, effectively cutting the game into quarters, like many US [...]
Brits urged to back UK pubs during World Cup amid booking surge June 16, 2026 Brits have been urged to support their World Cup team by getting down to the local pub amid a four-fold increase in bookings for England games. The UK hospitality sector is set for a 42 per cent sales boost across the group stages of the World Cup – with kick-off times in the US, Canada [...]
House price slump blamed on World Cup and heatwave June 15, 2026 House prices made a surprise drop in June because Brits are too busy watching the World Cup to move home, Rightmove has said. The average UK house price dropped by 0.6 per cent to £376,191 this month, according to the property portal, marking the biggest June fall in 14 years. Rightmove said this “unusual” slump [...]
Can football conquer the US? Why culture is key this World Cup June 14, 2026 Dame Heather Rabbatts DBE discusses why culture is key to football conquering the US after the World Cup Football has been a pivotal part of British culture for decades, but the last month alone has seen the drama of the Premier League climax, the success of Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in Europe and the [...]
BGC boss warns tech giants over black market ads ahead of World Cup betting surge June 12, 2026 The boss of Britain’s gambling trade body has urged major tech platforms to crack down on illegal betting adverts ahead of what is expected to be the biggest World Cup for gambling in history. In an open letter seen by City AM, Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) chief executive Grainne Hurst warned that black market [...]
World Cup: Third of fan visas from non-European countries are being rejected June 11, 2026 A third of World Cup fan visas from non-European countries are being rejected with Iran and Senegal hit the hardest, research has found. The United States, which is hosting 78 of the World Cup’s 104 matches, has refused 74 per cent of visas from Senegalese applicants and 61 per cent of Iranian submissions. These are [...]
Kane and Rice sign wearable tech deals ahead of World Cup June 11, 2026 England football stars Harry Kane and Declan Rice will wear smart rings during the World Cup after signing long-term deals with Oura. The smart ring, which helps with sleep and recovery, will be worn by the Three Lions captain and the Arsenal stalwart. The pair join an Oura roster, headquartered in San Francisco, that includes [...]
Podcast: Palantir to sue Sadiq Khan, GSK’s $10bn mega-deal, and could the World Cup rescue pubs? June 10, 2026 In today’s episode of City AM’s Business As Usual podcast, we get stuck in the top stories of the day – from a major pharma M&A deal to a US software giant poised to take legal action against the Mayor of London. City Editor Simon Hunt gives his round up of major markets stories, as Pharma giant [...]
Fuller’s slams ‘unprecedented government interference’ in pub sector June 10, 2026 The boss of Fuller’s has slammed Labour for “unprecedented government interference” into the pub sector, which he says is to blame for 5,800 pubs closing in a decade. Simon Emeny, executive chairman of Fuller, Smith and Turner, has launched a broadside against the government’s hikes to business rates, national insurance contributions and alcohol duty. “When [...]